The third Belzer Rebbe, Yissachar Dov Rokeach

Belz (חסידות בעלז) is a Hasidic dynasty named after the town of Belz, a small town originally located in eastern Poland, presently in Ukraine. The dynasty dates back to the 19th century. Image File history File links Belz1. ... Image File history File links Belz1. ... Hasidic Judaism (from the Hebrew: Chasidut חסידות, meaning pious, from the Hebrew root word chesed חסד meaning loving kindness) is a Haredi Jewish religious movement. ... Belz (Ukrainian Белз, Polish BeÅ‚z, Yiddish בעלז) is a small town in western Ukraine, near the border with Poland. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The founder of the dynasty was Rabbi Shalom of Belz, also known as the Sar Shalom, who was inducted as rabbi of Belz in 1817. A great Torah scholar and legendary miracle worker, Rabbi Shalom personally helped build the city's large and imposing synagogue. Dedicated in 1843, the building resembled an ancient fortress, with three-foot thick walls, a castellated roof and battlements adorned with gilded copper balls. It could seat 5000 worshippers and had superb acoustics. It stood until the Nazis invaded Belz in late 1939. Though the Germans attempted to destroy the synagogue first by fire and then by dynamite, they were unsuccessful. Finally they conscripted Jewish men to take the building apart, brick by brick. Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished,. In the ancient Judean schools the sages were addressed as רִבִּי (Ribbi or Rebbi... Shalom Rokeach (1779 - September 10, 1855), was the first Belzer Rebbe, also known as the Sar Shalom. ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Torah (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ... A synagogue or synagog (from Greek συναγωγή, transliterated sunagoge, place of assembly literally meeting, assembly) is a Jewish house of prayer and study. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nazism. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

When Rabbi Shalom died in 1855, his youngest son Rabbi Joshua of Belz (1855-1894), became the next Rebbe. Belzer Chassidut grew in size during Rabbi Joshua's tenure and the tenure of his son and successor, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach (I)(1894-1926). 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach (1825 - February 3, 1894) was the second Belzer Rebbe. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Rebbe (Hebrew: רבי also rebbi) is a title that may be given to a rabbi in Orthodox Judaism, particularly within Hasidic Judaism. ... Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach (I) (1854 - October 30, 1926) was the third Rebbe of Belz. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The fifth and present Belzer Rebbe, Yissachar Dov Rokeach (the second).

Unlike other groups which formed yeshivot in pre-war Poland, Belz maintained a unique yoshvim program which produced many outstanding Torah scholars. The yoshvim were married and unmarried men who remained in the synagogue all day to study the Talmud, pray, and derive inspiration from their Rebbe. They were supported by local businessmen and their food and other necessities were brought to them so they wouldn't have to leave the synagogue for even a short time. Some yoshvim even slept in the synagogue on a bench. They typically remained in this program until the rebbe would tell them to return home to their wives and families. Image File history File links The present Belzer Rebbe, Yissochor Dov Rokeiach File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links The present Belzer Rebbe, Yissochor Dov Rokeiach File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A recent picture of Yissachar Dov Rokeach (right) with Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, the rebbe of Ger, both in Israel. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... The Talmud (תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories, which Jewish tradition considers authoritative. ... Jewish services are the prayers recited as part of observance of Judaism. ...

With the passing of Rabbi Yissachar Dov in 1926, the mantle of leadership fell on his eldest son, Rabbi Aharon of Belz, who was 49 years old at the time. A deeply spiritual, almost mystical man, who studied much and slept and ate little, Rabbi Aharon was known for his saintliness and his miracle-working capabilities. Many of his followers reported experiencing miraculous recoveries or successes after receiving his blessing, and flocked to his court by the thousands. 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Aharon Rokeach was the fourth rebbe of the Belz Hasidic dynasty from 1877 to August 18, 1957. ...

Escape from Belz

With the outbreak of World War II and the Nazi takeover of Poland, the fate of Belz was thrown into turmoil. After the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, which gave the Soviet Union control over eastern Poland, where the town of Belz was located, Rabbi Aharon advised many of his followers to accept Soviet citizenship, as he did himself. Though many followers were promptly deported to Siberia for the remainder of the war, Rabbi Aharon's prescience became clear when they returned to Poland afterwards, only to find that their families and cities had been destroyed by the Nazis. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Siberia Siberia (Russian: , common English transliterations: Sibir’, Sibir; from the Tatar for “sleeping land”) is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan constituting almost all of northern Asia. ...

The "Wonder Rebbe" was at the top of the Gestapo's "wanted list" of rabbis targeted for extradition and extermination during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Thanks to the untiring efforts and cash inflow from Belzer Hasidim in Israel, England and the United States, the Rebbe and his half-brother, Rabbi Mordechai of Bilgorai, 22 years his junior, managed to stay one step ahead of the Nazis in one miraculous escape attempt after another. Notwithstanding the watchful presence of Gestapo patrols at every turn, the pair was spirited out of Belz and into Sokal, then Premishlan, then to the Cracow ghetto, and then to the Bochnia ghetto. The Deaths Head emblem, often used as the insignia of the Gestapo The (?) (acronym of Geheime Staatspolizei; secret state police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... Extradition is a formal process by which a criminal suspect held by one government is handed over to another government for trial or, if the suspect has already been tried and found guilty, to serve his or her sentence. ... Majdanek - crematorium Extermination camp (German Vernichtungslager) was the term applied to a group of death camps set up by Nazi Germany during World War II for the express purpose of killing the Jews of Europe, although members of some other groups whom the Nazis wished to exterminate, such as Roma... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Inter. ... Motto: none Voivodship Lesser Poland Municipal government Rada miasta Kraków Mayor Jacek Majchrowski Area 326,8 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 757,500 (2004 est. ... A ghetto is an area where people from a specific ethnic background or united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. ... Bochnia is a town in south-eastern Poland with 30,000 inhabitants (2001), situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodship but previously in the Tarnow Voivodship (1975-1998). ...

In their most hair-raising escape attempt, the brothers were driven out of occupied Poland and into Hungary by a Hungarian counter-intelligence agent who was friendly to Jews. The Rebbe, his brother and his attendant, shorn of their distinctive beards and sidelocks, were disguised as Russian generals who had been captured at the front and were being taken to Budapest for questioning. To quell rumors of the Rebbe's disappearance from the ghetto, one of his Hasidim dressed up in Rabbi Aharon's clothing and sat in his inner sanctum all day, imitating the way the Rebbe immersed himself in prayer and study. When other Hasidim urged the Rebbe's attendant to let them send in their kvittlach ("notes" or "petitions for blessings"), they heard a perfect imitation of the Rebbe's voice, mumbling his blessings. Budapest seen from north. ...

The refugees subsequently reported that they had experienced "miracles" at each stage of the escape. Throughout the 250-mile drive across occupied Poland, according to the Hungarian agent, the escape vehicle was enveloped in an "eerie mist" that made it difficult for the car to be detected. When the agent asked the driver to stop along the way and join him for something to eat, leaving the refugees unguarded, the two were unable to locate the car upon their return. They finally identified it by feeling for it in the place they parked it.

As the refugees passed into Hungary, they were stopped by several patrols. At one checkpoint, their identity was questioned and they were about to be detained when three high-ranking Hungarian officials appeared and ordered that the car be let through. Belzer Hasidim believe that those three men were the "first three Belzer Rebbes sent from Heaven" to expedite Rabbi Aharon's escape. Michelangelos interpretation of Heaven Heaven is an afterlife concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies. ...

Rabbi Aharon and Rabbi Mordechai spent eight months in Budapest before receiving highly-rationed Jewish Agency certificates to enter Palestine. In January 1944 they boarded the Orient Express to Istanbul. Less than two months later, the Nazis invaded Hungary and began deporting its 450,000 Jews. Jewish Agency for Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Map of the territory under the British Mandate of Palestine. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Poster advertising the Orient Express Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. ... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ...

Although he had lost his entire family—including his wife, children, grandchildren and in-laws and their families—to the Nazis, Rabbi Aharon re-established his Hasidic court in Tel Aviv, where there was a small Hasidic community. Both he and Rabbi Mordechai (who had lost his wife and daughter) remarried, but only Rabbi Mordechai had a child, Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II), in 1948. Rabbi Mordechai suddenly died a year later at the age of 47. Rabbi Aharon took his brother's son under his wing to groom him as the future successor to the Belz dynasty. Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... A recent picture of Yissachar Dov Rokeach (right) with Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, the rebbe of Ger, both in Israel. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Like some of the other groups originating in Poland, Belzer Hasidut was nearly wiped out by the Holocaust. Some Hasidic followers from other communities joined Belz after the war and following the deaths of their rebbes. Belz, like Ger and Satmar, was comparitively fortunate in that its leadership remained intact and survived the war, as opposed to many other Hasidic sects who suffered losses both in terms of rank-and-file supporters, as well as the spiritual decapitation of their leaders. Child survivors of the Holocaust before their liberation The Holocaust is the name applied to the systematic state-sponsored persecution and genocide of various ethnic, religious and political groups during World War II by Nazi Germany and collaborators. ... Belz (Ukrainian Белз, Polish BeÅ‚z, Yiddish בעלז) is a small town in western Ukraine, near the border with Poland. ... Ger can have the following meanings: Ger is the Yiddish form for the name of the Polish town of Góra Kalwaria. ... Satmar is the largest Hasidic group in existence today. ... Hasidic Judaism (Hebrew: Chasidut חסידות) is a Haredi Jewish religious movement. ...

The Belzer Rebbe became an acknowledged leader of Torah Jewry in Israel. He laid the groundwork for the spread of Belzer Hasidut through the establishment of schools and yeshivot in Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak and Jerusalem. When he died in 1957, tens of thousands of admirers followed his casket to his burial site in Jerusalem. His nephew, Rabbi Yissachar Dov, was nine years old when Rabbi Aharon died; he was appointed as the dynasty's new Rebbe when he turned 18 in 1966. The term Torah Judaism is a term used by a number of Orthodox Jews to describe themselves. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... Mentioned as one of the cities in the portion of the Tribe of Dan (Yehoshua 19:45), Bnei Brak is famous in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 32b) as the seat of Rabbi Akivas court, and in the Pesach Haggada as the site of the all-night Pesach Seder of Rabbi... Jerusalem and the Old City. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jerusalem and the Old City. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ...

Belz today

The Belzer Beit Hamedresh HaGadol, Qiriat Belz, Jerusalem

Since 1966, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach has presided over both the expansion of Belz educational institutions and the growth of Hasidic populations in Israel, the United States and Europe. Like other Hasidic groups, the Belz community has established a variety of self-help organizations, including one of the largest patient-advocacy organizations of its kind, a free medical counseling center, and an affordable medical treatment clinic in the New York area [1]. Image File history File links The Belz World Center of Torah & Chassidus Beit Hamedresh Hagadol, Kiryat Belz - Jerusalem File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links The Belz World Center of Torah & Chassidus Beit Hamedresh Hagadol, Kiryat Belz - Jerusalem File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Europe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... State nickname: The Empire State Official languages None. ...

In the early years of his tenure, the new Rebbe adopted a somewhat revolutionary policy, by Hasidic standards, of engagement with the secular government of Israel. Under the umbrella of the Agudat Israel political party, he sent delegates to the Israeli Knesset and instructed his followers to vote in general elections. This stance angered the Satmar community. Satmar activists obtained signatures from significant segments of the Haredi communities in Israel in an attempt to denounce and ostracize the present Belzer Rebbe. This episode created a lasting rift between the Belzer and Satmar communities. This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Categories: Organization stubs | Israel-related stubs | Israeli political parties | Orthodox Judaism ... The Knesset (כנסת, Hebrew for assembly) is the Parliament of Israel. ... Satmar (חסידות סאטמר) is a dynasty of Hasidic Judaism which originated in the Hungarian town of Satu Mare (Szatmárnémeti in Hungarian), originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and presently located in Romania). ... Haredi Judaism, also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Judaism. ...

The Belz World Center

In the 1980s, Rabbi Yissachar Dov spearheaded plans for a huge synagogue to be erected in the Qiriat Belz section of Jerusalem. The building, which would have four entrances accessible to each of the four streets of the hilly neighborhood, would be an enlarged replica of the structure that the first Rebbe of Belz, the Sar Shalom, had built in the town of Belz. It would include a grandiose main sanctuary, smaller study halls, wedding and Bar Mitzvah halls, libraries, and other communal facilities. Jerusalem and the Old City. ... Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, are considered incomplete. ... When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (12 years and one day for girls, 13 years and one day for boys) that child becomes responsible for him/herself under Jewish law; at this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (בר מצווה, son of the commandment...

The interior of the Belzer Beit Hamedresh HaGadol in Qiriat Belz, Jerusalem

Funds for this ambitious project were raised among Belzer Hasidim and were supplemented by various fund-raising projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Image File history File links The interior of the great synagogue inside the Belz World Center in Jerusalem. ... Image File history File links The interior of the great synagogue inside the Belz World Center in Jerusalem. ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub ...

Like the original synagogue of Belz which took 15 years to complete, the new Beit Hamedresh HaGadol ("The Great Synagogue") that now dominates the northern Jerusalem skyline also took 15 years to construct and was dedicated in 2000. Its main sanctuary seats 6000 worshippers. A huge ark contains more than 100 Torah scrolls. Nine chandeliers in the main synagogue each contain over 200,000 pieces of Czech crystal. In stark contrast to the majestic synagogue, the simple wooden chair and lectern used by Rabbi Aharon when he came to Israel in 1944 stands in a glass case next to the ark. Jerusalem and the Old City. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Sefer Torah Sefer Torah (in Hebrew: Book [of] Torah) (plural: sifrei Torah) is a specially hand-written copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, which is the holiest book within Judaism and venerated by Jews. ... Quartz crystal A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Lineage of Belzer dynastic leadership

• First rebbe - Shalom Rokeach of Belz (1779 - September 10, 1855), also known as the Sar Shalom. Rebbe from 1817 to 1855. Disciple of the Seer of Lublin.
  • Second rebbe - Joshua Rokeach of Belz (1825 - February 3, 1894). Youngest son of the Sar Shalom. Rebbe from 1855 to 1894.
    • Third rebbe - Yissachar Dov Rokeach (I) (1854 - October 30, 1926). Son of Joshua. Rebbe from 1894 to 1926.
      • Fourth rebbe - Aharon Rokeach (1877 - August 18, 1957), also known as Reb Arele, and as the Kedushath Aharon. Eldest son of Yissachar Dov (I). Rebbe from 1926 to 1957.
      • Rabbi Mordechai of Bilorai, son of Yissachar Dov (I), brother of Aharon.
        • Fifth rebbe - Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II) (b.1948). Only son of Mordechai of Bilgorai; nephew to Aharon. Rebbe from 1966- Present.

Rebbe (Hebrew: רבי also rebbi) is a title that may be given to a rabbi in Orthodox Judaism, particularly within Hasidic Judaism. ... Shalom Rokeach (1779 - September 10, 1855), was the first Belzer Rebbe, also known as the Sar Shalom. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin, also Jacob Isaac of Lublin, known as The Chozeh of Lublin (or simply as the Chozeh, (The Seer of Lublin), (1745-July 15, 1815) was born in Shbarshin, Poland. ... Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach (1825 - February 3, 1894) was the second Belzer Rebbe. ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach (I) (1854 - October 30, 1926) was the third Rebbe of Belz. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Aharon Rokeach was the fourth rebbe of the Belz Hasidic dynasty from 1877 to August 18, 1957. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A recent picture of Yissachar Dov Rokeach (right) with Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, the rebbe of Ger, both in Israel. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

References

• Israel, Yosef (2005). Rescuing the Rebbe of Belz. Mesorah Publications, Ltd. ISBN 1-57819-059-2.
• Shneider, Chaim (November 6, 2001). The Belz Sect. HasidicNews.com[2]
• Spiegel, Yisroel (June 28, 2000). The Belz Beis Medrash in Yerushalayim: Full Circle. De'iah Ve'Dibur. [3]